Anyone who may have seen the children or the vehicle is asked to call 911.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/amber-alert-issued-for-missing-connecticut-children/feed/0Boston high school student stabbedhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/boston-high-school-student-stabbed/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/boston-high-school-student-stabbed/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 13:59:48 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43979BOSTON (WWLP) – Boston police are investigating the stabbing of a student near a high school in the city’s Charlestown neighborhood.

Boston-area NBC affiliate, WHDH-TV reports that the stabbing happened off the property of Charlestown High School. There is no word at this time on the student’s condition.

Charlestown High is not on lockdown.

Stay with 22News and WWLP.com for the latest information as it becomes available.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/boston-high-school-student-stabbed/feed/0PHOTOS: N.H. house explosion and shooting of officerhttp://interactives.wwlp.com/photomojo/gallery/12254/1/n.h.-officer-shot-house-explodes/untitled-photo/
http://interactives.wwlp.com/photomojo/gallery/12254/1/n.h.-officer-shot-house-explodes/untitled-photo/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 11:50:21 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43962Brentwood, N.H. police officer Stephen Arkell was shot and killed after being called to a domestic disturbance at a home that later exploded.
]]>http://interactives.wwlp.com/photomojo/gallery/12254/1/n.h.-officer-shot-house-explodes/untitled-photo/feed/0Crash in Northampton closes portion of Florence Roadhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/crash-in-northampton-closes-florence-road/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/crash-in-northampton-closes-florence-road/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 05:11:40 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43940

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP)- A portion of Florence Road in Northampton has been closed, after a car crashed into a utility pole early Tuesday morning.

Florence Road has been closed from Burts Pit Road to Ryan Road as National Grid crews make repairs to the downed utility pole and power lines. The intersection at either Burts Pit Road or Ryan Road can be used as a detour around the closed section of Florence Road.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)– Jury deliberations for the murder of three men from Pittsfield are expected to continue today.

Tuesday inside Hampden Superior Court, Jury deliberations are expected to continue today in the trial of Daivd Chalue, the second man charged with killing three men in Berkshire County back in 2011.

Chalue’s trial follows a guilty verdict on several charges in the case of co-defendant Adam Lee Hall.

Prosecutors say one of the men murdered, David Glasser was killed to prevent him from testifying against Hall, and that the other two men were killed to eliminate any witnesses

22News was in court Monday, as closing arguments were heard. During his closing statement, Chalue’s lawyer argued the witness testimony against his Chalue was not credible because it came from jailhouse informants. But prosecutors argued back that the evidence against Chalue is overwhelming and he said it proves Chalue’s part in the murders “beyond a reasonable doubt”.

In Massachusetts a first degree murder conviction comes with a mandatory life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.

All three men accused in this case were or already were tried here in Springfield because there were concerns over pre-trial publicity where the murders happened, in the Berkshires.

The third suspect in the case, will go on trial following the completion of Chalue’s trial.

In our first investigation that aired last week, the I-Team discovered the Department of Transitional Assistance, or DTA, which oversees the state’s welfare system, has made significant improvements in the past year, yet we discovered another problem.

A welfare recipient is allowed to lose four EBT cards before they would have to explain themselves to someone from the DTA. Only then does the Department of Transitional Assistance check for possible signs of SNAP trafficking, where someone would sell their card for cash. Although, in prior administrations, a recipient could receive an unlimited number of replacement cards, no questions asked.

“If there is any indication that that is going on, then we do an automatic fraud referral and we investigate people for that,” said DTA Commissioner Stacey Monahan.

The I-Team found out that there are 4.75 million drivers licenses in Massachusetts. In 2013, about 4% needed a duplicate license. Around 186,020 duplicate licenses.

There were about 887,319 individuals with EBT cards in 2013, on average more than 20% needed a replacement card. That’s 184,716 cards replaced.

“I think it’s been pretty constant the 1-2 replacement cards, a lot of our clients are homeless, and are living in different places from night to night, so there’s circumstances where they could potentially lose a card,” said Monahan.

If you lose your license, it’s going to cost you $25 to replace it. On average the state makes between $4-$5 million a year on duplicate licenses.

If you lose an EBT, the DTA will take $5 out of your account, they just started this last year, so far they’ve saved about $500,000.

Commissioner Monahan told 22News that they’ve seen an 86% reduction in high volume requests that is people asking for 8 or more replacement cards.

“I sat in on an interview for someone coming in for her 4th card, it was in the Holyoke office. The last transaction was in Boston, her oldest child was being treated for a tumor in his back and she was taking the bus back and forth and she lost it on the bus, it’s that level of detail that we look at before we issue a replacement card,” said Monahan.

In 2011, Massachusetts drivers need 198,729 duplicate licenses across all classes. In 2012, 186,938 duplicate licenses were processed. In 2013, that number fell to 186,020.

In 2011, there were 180,503 EBT replacement cards given out. In 2012, there were 182,404 and in 2013 there were 184,716.

In 2011, the average caseload the DTA handled was 823,558 individuals covering 454,090 households.

In 2012, the average caseload the DTA handled was 872,310 individuals covering 487,335 households.

In 2013, the average caseload the DTA handled was 887,319 individuals covering 499,096 households.

Beginning in April 2013, $5 was deducted from each account when a replacement card was issued.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Over the last few weeks, the 22News I-Team has given you an inside look at how the state is preparing for construction of the I-91 viaduct and now we have a look at a survey conducted.

The I-Team is getting an exclusive inside look at information the state is using to determine how to handle the traffic and parking issues that will inevitably come from the construction of I-91 in Springfield.

3,000 people in western Mass. were given a survey that Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said helps them figure out what they need to plan for.

“Certainly, it’ll help us figure out the exact time of day we should be taking lanes or doing meaningful construction, if there’s mitigation that we can provide, perhaps working with PVTA for example to run additional bus service,” Davey said.

Preliminary results of the 3,000 people surveyed indicate 93% of them use I-91, 291, East Columbus Avenue, or Hall of Fame Avenue, during their day. 96% of people drive alone instead of carpooling.

Neil Boudreau, the projects Director of Traffic and Safety told the I-Team one way they’ll try to control the number of cars using the highway during construction is keep people from getting on the highway to go short distances.

“A third is actually downtown local traffic, sometimes it’s just people getting up on the highway and down just to get mobility within the city. So we are going to use that third as how can we move them to another location. If they don’t have to get up on the interstate can we make it more convenient for them to use the downtown streets,” Boudreau said.

There were also questions involving travel time and parking that the state hasn’t released results for yet. More results will available at a design meeting in Springfield on May 20th.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/i-team-i-91-survey-results/feed/0UConn fraternity banned following hazing incidenthttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/uconn-fraternity-banned-following-hazing-incident/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/uconn-fraternity-banned-following-hazing-incident/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 12:25:48 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43972STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut has banned a second Greek Organization over a hazing incident in which a woman says she was forced to lie on the floor and “sizzle like bacon” and then drink until she passed out.

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity joins Kappa Kappa Gamma, which had its registration revoked last week over the same hazing incident in March.

The school says the hazing of sorority members occurred at Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s off-campus house.

The fraternity won’t be allowed to reapply as a student organization for five years. It has until May 19 to appeal Monday’s ruling.

The school says this is the latest in a series of incidents involving the fraternity, which was placed on probation in 2010 after a member urinated on another organization’s homecoming float.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/uconn-fraternity-banned-following-hazing-incident/feed/0Harvard won’t host satanic “black Mass”http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/harvard-wont-host-satanic-black-mass/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/13/harvard-wont-host-satanic-black-mass/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 12:15:43 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43970CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A Harvard University club says it has dropped sponsorship of a satanic Mass that drew condemnation from the Archdiocese of Boston and the university’s president.

The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club said Monday a Cambridge restaurant and nightclub would not host the black Mass as planned. It says no other location offered a site.

The Harvard group says organizer Satanic Temple will stage its own ceremony at an undisclosed location.

Harvard President Drew Faust says in a message on the university’s website the satanic Mass is “flagrantly disrespectful and inflammatory.” She says she plans to attend a Eucharistic holy hour and benediction on the Harvard campus.

The Archdiocese of Boston last week said the black Mass mocks the Catholic Mass.

Doctors say regular heart screening tests should begin at age 20. But many people don’t think they’re at risk… just because they’re young or they don’t feel sick. But one man is sharing his story after a $70 test saved him from what would have been a deadly heart attack.

We’ll show you the risk factors and just how easy it is to get tested on 22News at Noon.

On Monday the state party officially certified Fisher, who went to court to try to get on the ballot after he said party officials violated their own vote-counting rules at the party’s state convention in March to block him.

Fisher is still seeking monetary damages from the party.

He must still deliver more than 10,000 certified signatures to the state secretary’s office. Fisher said he’s collected the signatures and State Secretary William Galvin’s office said Friday that local clerks have certified more than the 10,000 needed signatures.

The signatures must still be collected and delivered to Galvin’s office to ensure Fisher a ballot spot.

Dennis Leger, executive aide to the Springfield Fire Commissioner, told 22News that the fire started in a home at 28 Wesson Street around noontime. Leger said it appears the fire started on the ground outside the home; “There was a lot of combustible material near the house.” He also said the wind helped spread the flames to three other homes. The fire is considered accidental.

Leger told 22News that several people shot cell phone video of the fire as it flared up and intensified. Leger said it did not appear that the fire had been set.

Red Cross Spokeswoman Ashley Studley told 22News, “The Red Cross assisted 21 people from eight affected families. 11 of them have been put up in hotels. Two families were allowed to go back into their homes, and six others are staring with friends or family.

Heavy, black smoke could be seen from the 22News Springfield skycam looking south from downtown Springfield. When firefighters got there, the second floor of 28 Wesson Street was completely engulfed in flames.

Nora Fernands, who works nearby, told 22News that a man working on the home next door ran in and told her to call 911.

“A neighbor alerted me and asked me to come call police because he didn’t have a phone, and I called right away and when I walked outside, the back of the home was engulfed,” Fernands said.

The fire also damaged a house behind the Wesson Street home, located at 912 Belmont Avenue. Firefighters had blocked Belmont to traffic, and firefighters were spraying water on that home from ladder trucks.

Two other nearby homes and two garages also had exterior damage.

No one was injured during Monday’s fire, Leger said. The Arson and Bomb Squad is trying to pinpoint the cause. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call 787-6370.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/heavy-smoke-from-fire-in-forest-park-neighborhood/feed/0N.H. officer shot to death at house explosionhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/nh-police-respond-after-shots-reported-at-home/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/nh-police-respond-after-shots-reported-at-home/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 03:15:17 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43729

BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire police officer was shot to death after he responded to a domestic disturbance at a home that later exploded and burned, authorities said Monday.

The gunman was presumed dead in the ensuing blaze.

Attorney General Joseph Foster said late Monday night 48-year-old Stephen Arkell of Brentwood was shot to death when he answered the call in a suburban neighborhood for people older than 55.

After the shooting, the house burst into flames. A massive explosion blew the front off the house and within an hour, it was leveled.

Foster said Michael Nolan, 47, the son of the homeowner, is the suspected gunman. He is presumed dead.

“The entire State of New Hampshire is in mourning over the tragic loss of Brentwood Officer Steve Arkell,” said Gov. Maggie Hassan. “Officer Arkell bravely answered the call of duty and made the ultimate sacrifice, a heroic demonstration of his commitment to the safety of his fellow citizens. Like so many of our first responders do on a daily basis, Officer Arkell courageously put his life on the line to protect others, and in doing so, was tragically taken far too soon.”

Debra Vasapolli, director of public relations at Exeter Hospital, said that one person was taken to the hospital but said that person was not the victim of a gunshot wound. She declined to provide more details.

Neighbor Wayne Hughes told the Portsmouth Herald that police responded to the house after neighbors heard an argument Monday afternoon and called 911. His wife, Susan, said that she saw a police officer arrive at the home and then heard “rapid gun fire.”

She said she saw Walter Nolan, 86, being taken from the scene by ambulance before she was evacuated from the area. Public records indicate the house is owned by Nolan and he apparently lived in the home with his son.

After the blaze started around 4 p.m., firefighters were kept away from the scene.

Aerial coverage from WMUR-TV (http://bit.ly/RAYnZq) shows flames burning through the roof of the house and an explosion punching out the front of the house shortly after 5:30 p.m. Within minutes of the explosion, the house was engulfed in flames as black smoke billowed over the neighborhood.

After firefighters started attacking the blaze around 6 p.m., the fire was largely knocked down about a half hour later and it didn’t appear to have spread to neighboring houses.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/nh-police-respond-after-shots-reported-at-home/feed/08 people forced out by electrical fire in Springfieldhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/8-people-forced-out-by-electrical-fire-in-springfield/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/8-people-forced-out-by-electrical-fire-in-springfield/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 03:14:14 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43827

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – (WWLP) – Springfield fire investigators say an overloaded power strip started a fire that forced eight people out of a two-family home in Springfield’s Mason Square section Monday night.

Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said the fire started in a third floor bedroom at 32-34 Dawes Street at about 6:25 p.m. Monday.

“Eight people are displaced,” Leger told 22News, “The fire damage was on the top floor, and there was extensive water damage to the lower two floors. No one can stay there.”

Leger said the fire started in an overloaded power strip. No one was hurt.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – A judge has revoked the bail of a Chicopee man charged in connection with two separate violent incidents.

Northwestern District Attorney Spokeswoman Mary Carey told 22News Patrick Bousquet, 21, was arraigned Monday on charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, a beer bottle, and mayhem, in connection with a May 4th incident in Westhampton. Bousquet allegedly hit a 21-year old man on the back of his head with a beer bottle and then slashed the victim’s neck with the broken bottle. The Hampshire Superior Court Judge set Bousquet’s bail at $10,000.

Bousquet also has a case pending in Holyoke District Court where he is charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, a shod food. Bousquet allegedly stomped a person in the head as he laid on the ground in Holyoke in March of last year. The judge granted a motion to have Bousquet’s bail revoked in that case and he is currently being held without bail for 60 days.

Bousquet is due back in court on June 13 for pretrial conference.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/chicopee-man-charged-with-mayhem-in-westhampton-incident/feed/0Suspect arrested on gun charges after a foot chase in Springfieldhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/suspect-arrested-on-gun-charges-after-a-foot-chase-in-springfield/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/suspect-arrested-on-gun-charges-after-a-foot-chase-in-springfield/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 03:12:03 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43818SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Mass. State Police chased and arrested a 23-year-old suspect Monday afternoon and seized a firearm that the man had illegally in Springfield.

According to the State Police, around 1:35 p.m. Monday, troopers from the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section were told that a man was driving in a gray Honda Accord in Springfield with an illegal firearm.

The troopers found the car and attempted to arrest the 23-year-old driver from Springfield, Justin Johns, when he ran away on foot. The Johns was later arrested in the parking lot of the Milton Bradley School near the corner of Maple and Union Streets.

State Police said that a Sentinel 22 Caliber was recovered about 20 yards away from where Johns was first stopped. Police report that Johns dropped the revolver which he does not have a license to carry.

Johns was brought to the Springfield Barracks for booking. He was held on $10,000 bail and will be brought Tuesday to Springfield District Court to be arraigned on the following offenses:

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – State troopers and local police have arrested a suspect wanted in connection with the shooting of a 16 year-old boy in Holyoke back in March.

Holyoke Police Lt. Jim Albert told 22News that Michael Santiago, 23, of Holyoke, was arrested Monday by members of the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Squad, along with Holyoke and Chicopee police.

According to Albert, Santiago, who is also known as “Mexico,” was caught hiding out at an apartment building at 818 Chicopee Street in Chicopee’s Willimansett neighborhood.

Police had a warrant for Santiago’s arrest in connection with the March 23 shooting of a 16 year-old boy from Springfield. The young man was shot in the head at 569 South Canal Street in Holyoke. The victim has survived his wounds.

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Welcomed news for local businesses that depend on western Massachusetts military bases.

The Massachusetts Military Task Force is looking for ways to help local bases and surrounding cities and towns. They held the first of six information sessions tonight here in Westfield.

The Military Bond Bill gives Governor Deval Patrick and future Massachusetts governors up to $177 million to spend on projects to benefit military bases and the local economy. The Military Task Force will help plan those projects.

The state’s first investment using the Bond Bill is the improved Barnes runway. The Task Force relationship with Barnes Air National Guard Base began last year with the runway improvement project. The Task Force contributed about $10 million in state funding to resurface the 9,000 foot runway here in Westfield.

Kate Phelon, Executive Director of Greater Westfield Cahmber of Commerce, told 22News, “When you have a $126 million that’s put back into the local economy, they have to buy procurements, there’s contracts, there’s of course the daily operations of the base.”

F-15 fighter jets on standby 24/7 use that runway.

“To be able to continue that mission without the fear of the runway deteriorating and damaging the aircraft, putting folks’ lives at risk, it’s necessary to keep up on the repairs and upkeep of the runway,” 104th Vice Commander Colonel Kenneth Lambrich said.

And private planes that bring visitors to western Massachusetts also take off and land on that same runway.

Going forward, the Task Force is looking for similar projects. Military Task Force Executive Director Adam Freudberg told 22News, “It’s a very important project. It creates jobs, construction jobs. It helps with the F-15′s, Gulf Stream. 87% of the planes that land here are not military.”

The Task Force will hold a similar information session for Westover in Chicopee on May 27th.

BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WWLP) - A Belchertown mom who’s been working for three years to build a playground in honor of her late daughter, Monday night took a big swing in the right direction.

Ground was broken for a unique playground in Belchertown. Vicky Martins-Auffrey has been working for three years to build a boundless playground in memory of her daughter, Jessica, who was wheelchair bound. Jessica died from a nervous system disorder in 2009, just months after graduating from Belchertown High School.

“The kids loved her. They would have actually fight over sign-up sheets, who got to push her, who got to sit next to her at lunch, who got to play with her at recess. She would be so happy that we are doing this in her name,” said Martins-Auffrey.

An empty field located at the Chestnut Hill Community School will soon begin to transform into the boundless playground. A place where children and adults of all abilities can have fun without barriers.

When Jessica’s Boundless playground is finished being built, it will not only be the largest, 100% accessible playground in western Massachusetts, but in all of New England. So far, organizers have raised 250-thousand dollars, but they need much more.

“I’m really proud of this community and specifically all the people who have worked so hard for the fundraising. I think this hits so near to my heart because I love anything that supports children with different needs,” said Kathleen Terry of Belchertown.

The goal is to create an all-inclusive playground where everyone can live beyond their boundaries. To learn more about Jessica’s Boundless Play ground click here, or to make a donation, click here.

The big left wing had a goal and an assist in the second period and Carey Price made 26 saves and the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Boston Bruins 4-0 on Monday night to force Game 7 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The series is tied 3-3 going into Game 7 on Wednesday night in Boston.

Pacioretty, who had only one assist in the first five games, scored and set up Thomas Vanek’s goal in the second period. Lars Eller scored in the first for Montreal and Vanek added his second of the game into an empty net with 3:56 left.

“I was just waiting for my time to pitch in offensively,” Pacioretty said.

“Obviously you wanted it to happen more often in the playoffs, but it’s two do-or-die games where I’ve scored a goal so I feel confident that I’m helping the team.

“You want to feel you’re helping the team win and I think I did that tonight.”

Rookie Nathan Beaulieu, the Canadiens’ 2011 first-round draft pick who was given a surprise start by coach Michel Therrien, picked up an assist in his first NHL playoff game and was plus-2.

“I never played at a pace like that before,” the 21-year-old said. “It was incredible. It was good to get the first period under my belt and I felt I settled down after that.”

The Canadiens repeated the scenario of their 2011 first-round series against the Bruins, winning at home to force a Game 7. That year, they lost Game 7 in overtime. The Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Boston coach Claude Julien felt his team played well, but didn’t finish its chances.

“The second goal probably hurt us the most because we were spending a lot of time in their end and we had some great chances to tie the game, but that kind of turned the tide around,” Julien said. “I didn’t like the way they got their goals tonight.

“But we had more lines going than we’ve had this whole series. We spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, but if you hit posts and miss open nets. … You’ve got to bury those chances. Tonight they came back to haunt us.”

Montreal got off to a strong start after a rousing pregame show and the teams played at a ferocious pace through the first two periods.

Despite having the best of the play in the opening 20 minutes, the Canadiens needed an unusual play for the only goal.

Kevan Miller lost the puck off his stick behind the Boston net and then inadvertently tripped goalie Tuukka Rask as he tried to smother it, leaving Eller free to score unassisted 2:11 into the game.

The second period was marked by a remarkable 5:11 stretch without a whistle in which the Bruins bottled the Canadiens in their end for minutes at a time, only to see Milan Lucic miss their best scoring chance from the edge of the crease.

Soon after, Beaulieu flipped the puck up the center of the ice and saw it go off Loui Eriksson to Pacioretty, who won a race with Zdeno Chara and beat Rask between the pads at 15:24.

Pacioretty kept a puck alive with his feet amid a crowd in front of Rask during a power play and saw the puck slide to Vanek for a shot into an open side at 17:39.

The Bruins came close at 11:05 of the third when a Chara shot went off Price and dropped behind him. But with Jarome Iginla digging in the crease, David Desharnais was on his knees to stop the puck with his stick just as it had almost crossed the goal line.

The no-goal call stood up to video review.

Notes: Beaulieu replaced Douglas Murray on Montreal’s third defense pair and Daniel Briere returned to the lineup for Travis Moen. …. Eller scored during Beaulieu’s first career NHL playoff shift, making him plus-1 only 2:11 into the game. … Boston made no changes. … Shawn Thornton played his 100th career playoff game.

BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WWLP) – Hundreds of people gathered in South Hadley Monday night to remember a Belchertown High School teacher.

William Kirk taught math at BHS for 32 years and coached several of the school’s sports teams. Kirk died last Thursday from what is being called “a quick, short illness.”

Former students, friends and family said he was a great teacher, and an even greater person.

Amber Patruno, Kirk’s niece, told 22News, “Every person that came in line I asked them to share a story with me and it was really, really cool to look back and hear all the stories and the influences he’s had on so many lives.”

Tuesday night there will be another service for Kirk at Ryder’s Funeral Home in South Hadley from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/bhs-math-teacher-remembered-by-family-and-friends/feed/0Not much interest in the 2014 electionshttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/not-much-interest-in-the-2014-elections/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/not-much-interest-in-the-2014-elections/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 03:04:20 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43900

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Democrats or Republicans? Control of Congress is at stake this November, but the majority of registered voters are not that interested in this year’s election.

According to a Gallup Poll, 53% of voters are less enthusiastic about this election than previous elections. Four years ago, the poll result was the complete opposite, 52% of voters were enthusiastic about the 2010 election.

Political consultants Tony Cignoli told 22News the interest will go up as we get closer to November.

“They will tune back in. They know it affects them. They’ll watch the campaigns become more localized. It won’t be the general I’m mad at Washington feeling, but much more so, I’ve got to get involved in my own congressional or my own senatorial, because it affects me here at home where I live,” said Gignoli.

In Massachusetts, voters will be voting for all major state elected positions, including the office of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and Senate and House seats.

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Holyoke Police Department’s newest four legged officer will be a little safer in the line of duty.

Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger has announced that 2 year old “Jori”, pictured here, has been awarded a bulletproof vest.

The Holyoke Rotary Club donated $950 to the non-profit organization, “Vested Interest in K-9s” in order to provide the vest for Jori.

Jori and his handler, Officer Ryan Tabb, were certified together this January in “Police K-9 Patrol operations”.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/holyoke-police-dog-receives-bulletproof-vest/feed/0Survey finds people have less cash in their walletshttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/survey-finds-less-cash-in-wallets/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/survey-finds-less-cash-in-wallets/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 03:02:32 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43766

NEW YORK (CNN) – A new survey of consumers by Bankrate finds Americans have increasingly lighter wallets and that’s by choice.

With more options to pay by credit card, debit card, or Smartphone app, Bankrate found 78 percent of consumers carry less than $50 in cash with them on a daily basis, 40% carry less than $20 in cash, and 9% said they don’t carry any cash at all.

Despite the holiday season security breaches that took place at some major national retailers, consumers don’t appear deterred from the convenience of swiping a card at checkout, as opposed to first retrieving cash from an ATM.

To keep certain transactions secure, Bankrate recommends using credit cards versus a debit card. Credit cards offer consumers greater protection in the event of fraud. When making a debit transaction, opt to use a signature instead of a pin number.

Switch out passwords frequently and vary them. Using the same one for online accounts and payment apps can leave you vulnerable if a hacker gets access to even one account.

(CNN) – Summer is just around the corner, and with warm temperatures, more people will be exercising outside to lose a few pounds to get into that swimsuit. Which outdoor activities burn the most calories?

Hello sunshine. It’s about time. Let’s get off the couch, go outside and get moving.

Swimming, biking, even walking can burn lots of calories. Combining your workout with calorie cutting, and better eating, can help you take off a few pounds. But, the best way to keep the weight off is regular exercise. Which ones are the best?

NEW YORK (CNN) – Think all professional athletes are rolling in money, think again. According to Sports Illustrated, many football players end up broke.

Jadeveon Clowney, the number one NFL draft pick, inked a 22 million contract with the Houston Texans, but if he, and other top players, wants that money to last, they have to be smart about it, because the odds are against them.

78% of former NFL players are bankrupt, or very close to bankrupt according to an analysis by sports illustrated.

Former Tennessee Titan Eddie George says he’s made millions and has lost millions. Another former titan, Myron Rolle, says he had no idea about credit when he was drafted.

Problem is, many rookie NFL players are coming straight from school, and have never earned a paycheck that big. Some go on huge spending sprees, but forget to factor in taxes and agent fees, and don’t forget about family members who come knocking the minute a contract is signed.

For its part, the NFL does what it can. The league offers courses at some colleges so players can acquire some financial know-how before going pro.

Once drafted, the NFL has a rookie orientation, which includes some financial advice and some teams are taking action. The Seattle Seahawks start orientation by showing draftees a copy of their credit score.

A reality check that all of us, not just NFL players, likely need.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/nfl-to-rookies-stop-spending/feed/0FDA approves ‘Star Wars’ bionic armhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/fda-approves-star-wars-bionic-arm/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/fda-approves-star-wars-bionic-arm/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 02:55:38 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43793(CNN) – Amputees will soon get help from a groundbreaking bionic arm, thanks to the inventor of the Segway and a little inspiration from “Star Wars.”

After almost eight years of research and testing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the DEKA arm, a prosthetic controlled by signals from the brain. Unlike most current prostheses, the DEKA can perform such delicate tasks as zipping up a coat, unlocking a door with a key or handling an egg without breaking it.

The FDA is calling the device the first prosthetic arm that can perform multiple, simultaneous movements via electromyogram electrodes, which detect electrical signals from the contraction of muscles close to where the prosthesis is attached.

The battery-powered arm is about the size and weight of a natural limb and has six different grips. A computer in the device can tell what type of movement its wearer wants to make.

“This innovative prosthesis provides a new option for people with certain kinds of arm amputations,” said Christy Foreman, director of the FDA’s Office of Device Evaluation. The DEKA arm “may allow some people to perform more complex tasks than they can with current prostheses in a way that more closely resembles the natural motion of the arm.”

The DEKA bionic arm can be configured for people with limb loss at the shoulder joint, mid upper arm or mid lower arm, the FDA said. It cannot be fitted for someone whose arm was amputated at the elbow or wrist.

One of the device’s first users was double amputee Chuck Hildreth, who lost both arms in an electrical accident. Hildreth has been demonstrating the DEKA arm on national TV news programs since at least 2009.

“I never thought in my lifetime I’d see something this functional come out,” he told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta in 2010. “It’s definitely going to change my life, and more importantly it’s going to change the life of my family. Because … I’m going to be less dependent on them.”

In considering whether to approve the device, the FDA reviewed a Department of Veterans Affairs study involving 36 participants fitted with DEKA arms.

The study found that about 90% of participants were able to perform activities they were not able to perform with their current prosthesis, such as using keys and locks, preparing food, feeding themselves and brushing their hair.

A video demonstration on DARPA’s website shows a man using the bionic arm to transfer eggs from one carton to another without breaking them.

The device was developed by DEKA Integrated Solutions in Manchester, New Hampshire. FDA approval means that DEKA can now legally market and sell the bionic arm in the United States.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/fda-approves-star-wars-bionic-arm/feed/0Clay Aiken’s primary opponent dies after falling at homehttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/clay-aikens-primary-opponent-dies-after-falling-at-home/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/clay-aikens-primary-opponent-dies-after-falling-at-home/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 01:35:02 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43857ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — The entrepreneur who was locked in a too-close-to-call Democratic primary with former “American Idol” singer Clay Aiken died Monday, his family said.

Keith Crisco, 71, died “after an accidental fall” at his home in Asheboro, about 65 miles west of Raleigh, according to a statement from his family.

“He was a remarkable man with a tremendous dedication to his family and to public service,” the statement said.

Aiken was leading Crisco by fewer than 400 votes after the contest last Tuesday. Unless Crisco can come from behind during a final tally of the votes this week, Aiken will be the nominee, state elections board spokesman Josh Lawson said. If Crisco does win, local Democrats would select the nominee, Lawson said. The vote is expected to be certified Thursday.

The winner will face Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in November in the GOP-leaning 2nd Congressional District.

Crisco had been North Carolina’s top business recruiter for four years under former Gov. Beverly Perdue, who left office in 2013. Crisco was born to a Republican family on a Stanly County dairy farm in North Carolina, he said in an interview last month.

“I did pull corn. I did plow. I did milk cows. I did do all the things you do on a small farm,” Crisco said.

He got a scholarship to study science at the county’s Pfeiffer University. There, he met his wife and her family of yellow-dog Democrats, and Crisco said he converted.

He went to Harvard University to study for a master’s of business administration, which he earned in 1968, then returned to North Carolina to work for textile giant Burlington Industries. In the early 1970s, Crisco was selected as a White House Fellow, and he spent a year in President Richard Nixon’s Commerce Department.

“Keith came from humble beginnings. No matter how high he rose – to Harvard, to the White House and to the Governor’s Cabinet – he never forgot where he came from,” Aiken said in a statement. “He was a gentleman, a good and honorable man and an extraordinary public servant. I was honored to know him.”

In 1986, he and partners formed Asheboro Elastics to produce elastics for home furnishings and medical and industrial uses. He joked that the company’s mission was to “hold your underwear up.” The company was renamed AEC Narrow Fabrics and is now run by hired executives, his sons and a son-in-law.

His business success allowed him to lend $500,000 to his campaign against Aiken, according to financial statements filed last month.

Crisco won a city council seat in Asheboro and said his business background appealed to independents and Republicans who could help him beat Ellmers in November.

“You cannot win this district with just the Democrat vote. You must have a broad base of support of independents and, yes, some Republicans. And that’s what I can bring,” Crisco said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/clay-aikens-primary-opponent-dies-after-falling-at-home/feed/0Oregon’s wandering wolf may have found his matehttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/oregons-wandering-wolf-may-have-found-his-mate/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/oregons-wandering-wolf-may-have-found-his-mate/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 01:12:37 +0000http://beta.wwlp.com/?p=43837MEDFORD, Oregon (AP) — Oregon’s famous wandering gray wolf, OR-7, may have found the mate he has trekked thousands of miles (kilometers) looking for, wildlife authorities said Monday. It’s likely the pair spawned pups, and if confirmed, the rare predators would be the first breeding pair of wolves in the northwestern state’s Cascade Range since the early 1900s.

Officials said cameras in the southern Cascades captured several images of what appears to be a female wolf in the same area where OR-7′s GPS collar shows he has been living.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist John Stephenson said it is not proof, but it is likely the two wolves mated over the winter and are rearing pups that would have been born in April. Biologists won’t start looking for a den until June, to avoid endangering the pups.

“It’s amazing that he appears to have found a mate,” Stephenson said. “I didn’t think it would happen. It makes me more impressed with the ability of wolves to survive and find one another.”

Young wolves typically leave their pack and strike out for a new territory, hoping to find a mate and start a new pack.

OR-7 has been looking for a mate since leaving the Imnaha pack in northeastern Oregon in September 2011. His travels have taken him thousands of miles (kilometers) as he crossed highways, deserts and ranches in Oregon, moved down the spine of the Cascade Range deep into Northern California and then back to Oregon, all without getting shot, having an accident or starving. Along the way, he was photographed by a hunter’s trail camera in the Cascades outside Medford and by a biologist informing ranchers in Northern California he was in the area.

Federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves have been lifted in eastern Oregon, where the bulk of them reside, but they remain in force in the Cascades. Protections for the animals have also ended in the last several years in the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed ending the listing across most of the rest of the country as populations have rebounded. A final decision is expected later this year.

Officials had planned to let OR-7′s GPS collar die, but now that he appears to have found a mate, he will be fitted with a new one this summer to monitor the pack.

With various potential GOP candidates jockeying two years out, the top Republican in Congress delivered the strongest hints about his preference for the White House while cautioning that the talk was a bit premature.

“Jeb Bush is my friend. I think he’d make a great president. I’ve nudged him for some time,” Boehner told the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas have been mentioned as possible presidential candidates along with a number of GOP governors.

In this year’s elections, Republicans are expected to keep control of the House and have a legitimate shot at seizing the majority in the Senate. Boehner said he expects to keep his leadership position in 2015 but stopped short of committing to serving out a full 13th term in Congress.

“I have a very good relationship with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” Boehner said. “Even in my party, even with some people with whom we have disagreement almost every day, I have a good relationship with them as well.

But given a chance to end speculation that he may not complete another full two-year term, Boehner said he couldn’t predict what might happen.

“I’m going to be 65 years old in November. I never thought I’d live to be 60. So I’m living on borrowed time,” the Ohio Republican said.

Boehner has provoked discontent among some conservatives over his actions during last year’s government shutdown, his backing for raising the nation’s borrowing authority and his support for moving ahead on immigration overhaul. He drew a primary challenge in his Ohio district against two tea party candidates but easily beat both last week and now faces a token Democratic opponent in November.

Boehner also briefly discussed a new special select committee that will conduct the eighth investigation of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, died in the assault.

Republicans have accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people about the attacks.

Boehner named seven Republicans to the panel last week, but Democrats are divided about whether to participate in the probe they consider an election-year stunt. Democrats have five seats to fill.

Boehner said the investigation will move ahead with or without Democrats.

“I promised Ms. Pelosi that if she appoints members to this, they will be treated fairly,” Boehner said. “We’ve been having a discussion over the last four or five days about how witnesses would be handled, how documents would be handled. We’re trying to come to some understanding, up front, of what I mean by fairness.”

Fire Departments from Becket, Monterey, New Marlborough, Sandisfield and Blandford helped the firefighters in Otis, in some capacity, to put out a fire at 1431 West Center Road.

It is reported that the fire started in the garage and moved its way into the house which damaged about 20%; however, this has not been confirmed. 22News called the Otis Fire Department and several other departments that were assisting, and we are still waiting for information.

The cause of the fire and if any one was injured is still unknown at this time.

Stay with 22News on-air and on WWLP.com for the latest information when it becomes available.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/fire-departments-working-to-control-fire-in-otis/feed/0Unfinished priorities weigh on Mass. Legislaturehttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/unfinished-priorities-weigh-on-mass-legislature/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/unfinished-priorities-weigh-on-mass-legislature/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 23:47:23 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43810STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 12, 2014…..Before addressing a Boston business breakfast last Thursday, Senate President Therese Murray pointed out several of her colleagues in attendance at the Westin Copley.

Sen. Stanley Rosenberg of Amherst, who is expected to succeed Murray, and Sens. Harriette Chandler of Worcester, Gale Candaras of Wilbraham, Anthony Petruccelli of East Boston and Thomas McGee of Lynn were all there to hear Murray, who is not seeking re-election, deliver her final speech to the Greater Boston Chamber.
“So we might have a quorum actually,” Murray joked. “If we had a conference committee, we could have done it just like that.”

It was part wishful thinking for Murray, and a comment that seemed to convey some frustration and annoyance over the pace of talks between House and Senate Democrats on major legislative issues.

After Chamber President Paul Guzzi asked her to outline other challenges that legislative leaders might take up in the coming weeks to help the state economy along, Murray was more direct about the tasks at hand.

“We have a number of challenges because this is May and our session ends on July 31,” Murray said. “So we have a lot of committees that are in conference that have not finished their conference that we would like to have that happen.”

Although Democratic legislative leaders like to point out that they get along with Republicans and that Beacon Hill lacks some of the partisan sniping that’s poisoned relations in Washington, top House and Senate Democrats on issue after issue this year have been unable to find common ground, in some cases after months of negotiations.

The House and Senate last year resoundingly approved welfare reform bills and legislation imposing strict regulation on the drug compounding industry, which came under fire after tainted steroids linked to a Framingham company killed 64 people. Both issues remain tied up in conference.

Six-member conference committees, which closely guard their closed deliberations and whose members refuse to discuss differences or specifics, have also been unable to agree on consensus proposals governing election reforms, natural gas leaks, domestic violence, and mercury product recycling.

The situation, whether by accident or design, is fueling a scenario under which Beacon Hill leaders will have the opportunity to engage in ample amounts of the proverbial end-of-session horse trading or grand bargaining, under which unrelated policy ideas are the subjects of trades and concessions as spring turns to summer.

Other major interrelated issues – raising the minimum wage, reforming unemployment insurance and granting rights to domestic workers – have yet to even reach the conference committee level, even though proposals on all three issues have cleared both branches. And the Senate this week and next week plans to focus on proposing and passing a fiscal 2015 budget bill, which will demand the attention of legislative leaders in the weeks leading up to July 1, the target date for having an annual spending in place for the new fiscal year.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Monday said he believed the conference committee negotiating election law reforms, including early voting and same-day voter registration, may be close to issuing its final report, and put a $145 million mid-year spending bill and not-yet-finalized gun reform legislation on his near term agenda.

DeLeo, however, seemed uncertain about the next steps for minimum wage legislation more than a week after the Senate debated and voted for a second time to raise the $8 an hour wage floor.

“If I’m correct, didn’t we appoint a conference committee? Not today? I would presuppose that might be the next thing that we may do,” DeLeo told reporters.

Reminded that House and Senate clerks have said the House must first reconsider the bill before it goes to conference because of the way it was handled in the Senate, DeLeo said, “I don’t know. I’m sorry.” His office later confirmed the bill must come before the House again, but an aide could not put a timetable on that vote.

On May 1, when the Senate for a second time passed proposals raising the minimum wage and delivering unemployment insurance rate relief to some businesses, Labor Committee Chairman Sen. Dan Wolf said, “The task before us today is to pass a bill that we can then get into a conference committee with our colleagues over in the House that will result in legislation going to the governor before the end of our legislative session.”

While focused on priorities tied up in conference, Murray did identify other priorities, including passage of a bill to facilitate the $1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. DeLeo also supports expansion of the BCEC.

“We want to make sure that convention center gets through this session and that’s off our plate, onto your plate so that you can move forward with that,” Murray told business officials. “I think that’s going to be awesome for Boston.”

Murray also saluted Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s efforts to keep city life humming later into the evening with late-night MBTA service. International visitors, particularly those from South America and western European countries, are accustomed to later dinners, Murray said.

“They’re used to having dinner be beyond nine o’clock at night. I’m serious – this town closes up and they’re always surprised, ‘Where can we go get a drink and where can we go and get dinner that’s not pub food after nine o’clock?’ ” Murray said. “And I think that opening his mind to that and having that happen is going to go a long way to saying ‘Hey, let’s go to Boston instead of New York.’ ”

In March, Walsh announced the Boston had approved a late-night pilot for food trucks allowing them to stay opening until midnight starting April 1 at select sites on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Walsh, saying he’s “thinking globally,” has also formed a Late Night Task Force charged with “exploring ways to grow a more vibrant late night culture in Boston.” The task force will look at neighborhoods that are favorable for later closing hours, public safety requirements, liquor license restrictions, entertainment license expansion, and transportation issues.

[Matt Murphy contributed reporting]

Copyright 2014 State House News Service

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/unfinished-priorities-weigh-on-mass-legislature/feed/0Conference agrees to early voting, turns down same-day registrationhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/conference-agrees-to-early-voting-turns-down-same-day-registration/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/conference-agrees-to-early-voting-turns-down-same-day-registration/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 23:28:37 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43808STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 12, 2014…. Voters will be able to cast their ballots more than week before an election starting in 2016 under new early voting rules recommended by a House-Senate panel that reached a deal late Monday afternoon on broad new election reforms.

The pact would also authorize online voter registration and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, but excludes a Senate-backed provision to allow same-day voter registration at the polls. It also recommends random post-presidential election audits of select precincts to verify the accuracy of vote counts.

“I think it’s a great bill and I’m very proud,” said Sen. Barry Finegold, the co-chair of the Election Laws Committee and the lead Senate conferee negotiating the final bill. “I think it’s going to give more opportunities to the electorate to participate and the fact that we’re going to be able to get younger voters to pre-register will be huge. It’s a big step in the right direction for more people to participate in the electoral process.”

“It’s a bill that the average person will like. It will make it easier for people to vote, to register to vote and we want to encourage young people to vote,” Murphy said.

If adopted by the House and Senate, Massachusetts would join at least 32 other states with early voting. The report calls for early voting to start in time for the 2016 presidential election and would allow voters to cast their ballot up to 11 business days prior to the date of the election.

Murphy said he was not sure when the bill would come up for a vote, but suggested it could happen as soon as Wednesday when the House plans to meet.

While the House originally proposed an early voting system in presidential election years only and the Senate opted for all biennial state elections, the conferees reached a compromise to authorize early voting for every two-year state election cycle, but only in the general election and not for primaries.

“We focused where we thought the highest turnout would be,” Finegold said.

Though the conference report does recommend allowing teenagers to pre-register to vote up to two years before they become eligible to cast a ballot, House and Senate lawmakers opted not to include a Senate-backed provision to allow 17-year-olds in Lowell to vote in municipal elections that has been heavily lobbied by the teenagers on Beacon Hill. The proposal would have also had to pass in a city referendum question.

The same-day voter registration provision was tacked on by amendment in the Senate when Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, an East Boston Democrat, argued it would increase turnout. The measure, however, drew opposition from city and town clerks across the state that were concerned about the added administrative burden of registering voters as they showed up at the polls to vote.

“It’s something we’re going to continue to look at and try to study. It’s a big piece and I’m still hopeful that at some point in the future the Commonwealth will have same-day voter registration,” said Finegold, who is running for treasurer.

Murphy said the conference committee worked closely with the clerks, Secretary of State William Galvin and Common Cause Massachusetts in developing the final bill. “When there are any changes people can get concerned but what we did in the House and Senate bill was we made it workable for the clerks. We heard what their concerns were. I think they’ll be very happy with the bill,” Murphy said.

The six-member conference committee has been negotiating the election law reforms since late January after competing versions passed the House and Senate with strong support.

In addition to studying same-day registration, the bill would create an elections task force to look at how reforms in the law succeed at improving voter turnout and reducing the length of lines at polling locations on election day. The task force would also study the state and local costs associated with early voting, incidences of voter fraud, and the potential for expanded use of technology for election-day mobile alerts and online or “e-voting.”

The completion of negotiations over election law reforms comes as major bills passed this session have become bottlenecked in conference committees, two of which began deliberations before the election law conferees.

“I know there’s a lot of contention between the House and Senate right now, but Jamie was great to work with and I felt there was a good compromise and we worked in a strong and bipartisan fashion,” Finegold said.

It’s an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks healthy tissue. It can cause damage to many parts of body such as joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and the brain. Lupus is one of the most complicated and cruelest autoimmune diseases. Simply put: It’s difficult to diagnose, hard to live with and challenging to treat.

If I could write a letter to lupus, I would say “I want me back, I’ve had enough.”

As a junior at Kent State University, I felt like I was on top of the world. I went to a great school, I was doing exactly what I love (journalism), and then on September 11, 2001, I began to get unexplained illnesses one after another.

Eventually, I landed in a hospital bed with an IV pumping a cocktail of drugs meant to cure “a series of infections” ravaging my body. When I finally felt reasonable enough to go to class, I couldn’t remember things. My essays, as one professor told me, suddenly “read like ramblings.” I wasn’t me.

That semester, I ended up taking incompletes in all of my classes. My doctors and professors declared I was overwhelmed with catching up in my classes and the anxiety of it all consumed me. Little did I know that it would be a decade later before I would officially find out it was really systemic lupus erythematosus.

My diagnosis came as I was entering what I considered the magical part of my life. I had married, had a beautiful daughter and was working my dream job (CNN) and finally felt like I was walking in my purpose.

I began to have horrific migraines, excruciating nerve pain down my left arm, and bruises and rashes started to appear more and more often. Initially, I thought I was just tired and it was the allergies and the bruises. I simply attributed it to being anemic.

This was until my esophagus began to feel as if it was closing up. I went to a physician, and he said I had a tumor on the shoulder and that must be causing everything I was feeling.

When I went to the surgical oncologist, she said “it’s not cancer” and referred me to an amazing internist.

I had already gone through the gamut of diagnoses: leukemia, thoracic outlet syndrome, sarcoidosis. I was completely over the diagnosis portion of the process. My life had become work, bed and repeat. They ran multiple tests. I remember the appointment like it was yesterday.

When I came back in for my follow-up, I was told I had lupus. A disease that has no cure. To me, that diagnosis was not a death sentence, but a sentence to feel the way that I felt at the moment for the rest of my life. I felt pain, I felt exhausted and I was not me.

Having lupus has been like having a horrific hangover while doing two-a-day workouts — #exhausting.

No one knows what is wrong unless you tell them. There is no escaping the pain, and the only way out is to sleep or die. I’ve felt like lupus at times has sucked the life out of me. It’s shifted my priorities, taken away many of the things I love because I’m stuck in a holding pattern just treating the symptoms. Never being cured.

Fighting this disease has been no easy ride.

The disease has affected my brain, GI system, lungs and heart. I take nine medications to treat symptoms. Meaning, this is what I had to do to get through the day.

Those drugs include chemotherapy, an antimalarial, a beta-blocker, an anticonvulsant, corticosteroids and a drug used to treat nerve damage. None of the drugs is specifically meant to treat lupus.

When people see me, they always say, “You don’t look sick.”

This has sort of been a gift and a curse for me. On one hand, I didn’t want people to look at me as if I had a disability. On the other, I wanted people to know what I’ve been able to accomplish in spite of the disease. It’s an invisible fight for me, but now is my time to make some noise so we can find a cure. If no one is aware of my struggle, we can’t get there.

I want me back, and I’ve realized that every breath I take is blessed with a responsibility. A responsibility to raise awareness about life with lupus and the need for a cure. Every day, this is what keeps me going.

Lupus is one of America’s least recognized major diseases, although 1.5 million Americans are living with it.

Research is not keeping pace with the research for other diseases of similar scope and devastation. A study conducted by the Lupus Foundation of America found 72% of Americans from 18 to 34 (those most at risk for lupus) have either not heard about lupus or know nothing more than the name.

In the past century, only one drug has been developed and approved to treat the disease. With the ebbs and flows of the economy, this disease has taken the backseat to research investment priorities.

The Lupus Foundation of America is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life and finding a cure for lupus. To find out more information about the disease or to make a contribution, head over to lupus.org.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/dear-lupus-i-want-me-back/feed/0Common chemicals challenge spermhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/common-chemicals-challenge-sperm/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/common-chemicals-challenge-sperm/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 23:18:55 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43798(CNN) – Chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, commonly found in our food and products such as makeup, sunscreen and toothpaste, have been shown to cause fertility problems. Now scientists have a better understanding of why.

Researchers found endocrine disruptors can interfere with human sperm’s ability to move, navigate and/or penetrate an egg. Their study results were published Monday in EMBO reports.

Wait, what’s an endocrine disruptor?

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with your endocrine system – the system in your body that regulates hormones. These hormones control everything from your metabolism to your sleep cycle to your reproductive system, so messing with them can cause serious issues.

Scientists have a long list of potential endocrine disruptors, including bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, dioxin, mercury and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). They can be natural or man-made and are virtually “omnipresent,” the study authors write, in our food and in common household and personal care products.

Scientists in Germany and Denmark tested 96 endocrine disrupting chemicals on human sperm – both individually and in various combinations. Around one-third of the chemicals had a negative effect.

The researchers found these endocrine disruptors increased the amount of calcium found in sperm cells. Calcium ions control many of the essential functions of sperm, study author Dr. Timo Strunker explains, including the flagellum – the tail that propels sperm forward. So changing the calcium level in a sperm cell can impact its motility, or swimming ability.

The researchers also found that some endocrine disruptors make sperm less sensitive to two hormones, progesterone and prostaglandins, that help a sperm cell navigate toward a woman’s egg.

“Compare it with your GPS receiving abnormal signals,” study author Dr. Niels E. Skakkebaek told CNN in an e-mail. “This may result in a wrong destination – read: the sperm may not reach the egg and fertilization may not occur.”

One other factor may prevent conception: The study authors concluded some endocrine disruptors can trigger the release of enzymes designed to help sperm break the protective coating on an egg. While this is a good thing if it happens near the egg, the chemicals often cause a premature reaction, wasting the enzymes, Strunker says.

The takeaway

Avoiding endocrine disruptors altogether could prove difficult, as “we become exposed without knowing it from food, clothes, cosmetics, air, water, dust…” said Skakkebaek. “In my opinion, the take-home message to readers is to elect politicians who will work for a cleaner environment in a broad sense.”

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/common-chemicals-challenge-sperm/feed/0Impairment from solvents might last decadeshttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/impairment-from-solvents-might-last-decades/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/impairment-from-solvents-might-last-decades/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 23:10:02 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43778(CNN) -- In the workplace, fumes from solvents such as paints, glues, degreasers and adhesives have been implicated in cognitive damage – in other words, impaired thinking and memory abilities. Now, researchers report in the journal Neurology that the detriments linked to these chemicals might last many years.

“What it shows is that these chemicals might have more long-term effects than have previously been thought, and continue to affect people long after they are retired,” said Erika Sabbath, research fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and lead author of the study.

A solvent is a substance used to dissolve another chemical. For instance, water dissolves salt. The solvents targeted in this study included benzene (found in detergents and plastics), chlorinated solvents (found in paint strippers and dry cleaning solutions) and petroleum solvents (found in varnish).

But note that researchers did not directly measure whether these chemicals cause brain damage. They simply found a statistical association between impairment on tests and exposure to chemicals. More research would be needed to prove that one directly results in the other.

Participants

Researchers obtained information from 2,143 male retirees in France who had worked for a French utility company. They had retired, on average, around age 55. Most had started working around their late teens or early 20s and worked at the same company for their whole careers.

About 33% of these retirees had been exposed to chlorinated solvents, 26% to benzene and 25% to petroleum solvents. There were 12% of participants with high exposure to one kind of solvent, while 11% had high exposure to two or three.

Those exposed to industrial solvents 12 to 30 years before cognitive testing were deemed to have been “recently” exposed. Others had been exposed 31 to 50 years earlier.

Methods

Researchers estimated how much people had been exposed each year from 1960 to 1998. The study did not directly measure how long individuals had been exposed to certain chemicals, however.

“During that time, the practices around using chemicals and personal protective equipment and the extent to which we know about harmful effects have certainly changed,” Sabbath said. “It’s possible that these people were exposed to higher levels than what people are exposed to today. That being said, these are some of the most common chemicals in U.S. workplaces.”

Study authors gave participants cognitive tests to measure such abilities as working memory, attention and thinking skills. The men were on average 66 at the time of this testing.

Results

Participants whose exposure to solvents was greater and most recent had the highest risk of memory and thinking problems.

High exposure to chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents and benzene during one’s lifetime was linked to impairment on a test measuring general cognitive function. For those with moderate exposure, only chlorinated solvents was related to higher risk.

A different cognitive test found similar results, with high exposure to chlorinated solvents and petroleum solvents related to elevated risk. Other assessments found similar patterns.

Timing mattered, too. Poorer scores on tests that measured visual attention and memory, as well as task switching, were more likely to be seen in men whose exposure to chlorinated solvents was both high and recent. Researchers looked at other factors such as smoking, age, education and alcohol consumption, but none of these explanations could account for the strong association.

High exposures 31 to 50 years before testing were also associated with some types of cognitive impairment.

“We expecting to see this relationship between total lifetime dose and cognitive outcomes, but we weren’t expecting that the effects would have lasted this long,” Sabbath said.

Limitations

Researchers did not test the cognitive functioning of participants before their exposure to solvents.

“This could potentially induce bias if individuals with poorer baseline cognition were more likely to stay in higher-exposure jobs, incurring additional damage from solvents,” researchers wrote.

The participants also took a variety of different tests, and some results may be explained by random chance.

Researchers additionally did not take into account factors such as physical activity, diet and cardiovascular disease. But they did adjust for hypertension and body mass index, which are related.

Implications

This study did not look at what happens to the brain directly as a result of solvent exposure in the workplace. But a previous study that used functional magnetic resonance imaging found implications to the anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and prefrontal cortex while participants took attention and working memory tests. Researchers noted that deterioration of the prefrontal cortex is also associated with aging.

Solvents are used in nearly all manual tasks in the French working population, with 12% to 13% being exposed, the study said.

Policy changes may be necessary to reduce the level of chemical exposure that is permissible, but historically such reforms have been difficult to achieve, Sabbath said.

In the meantime, people who work with paints or dry cleaning fluid all day may benefit from wearing a respirator and having good ventilation, Sabbath said.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/impairment-from-solvents-might-last-decades/feed/0Game 6: Boston Bruins 0, Montreal Canadiens 4, Finalhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/game-6-boston-bruins-vs-montreal-canadiens/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/game-6-boston-bruins-vs-montreal-canadiens/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 22:45:43 +0000http://wwlp.com?p=43605&preview_id=43605BOSTON (WWLP) – The Boston Bruins got shut out by the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series is tied 3-3 and will need a deciding Game 7.

The game started at 7:30 p.m. in Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

FINAL SCORE: Boston Bruins 0, Montreal Canadiens 4

The Bruins finally took the lead in this head to head series against the Canadiens after winning Game 5 in Boston, 4-2. The historic rivalry between these two teams has been reborn with both teams playing as if this is the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens took games 1 and 3, while the Bruins took games 2, 4, and now 5. As the game shifts back to Montreal lets see if the Bruins can keep winning and head to the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in the First Round of the playoffs, 4-1, while the Canadiens swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-0. Now, the two teams face each other in the Second Round; this is the 34th time the Bruins and Canadiens are going head to head in the playoffs. In previous match-ups the Canadiens have won 24 and the Bruins won 9. The Bruins won the last series against the Canadiens in the 2010-2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 4-3.

The Bruins hope to make it back to the Stanley Cup Championship after losing a heart breaking loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 last season. If not for two quick goals from the Blackhawks within seconds of each other, in the final period, Bruins might have had a chance to win it all by forcing a Game 7.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/game-6-boston-bruins-vs-montreal-canadiens/feed/0$7 million to upgrade aging water pipeshttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/7-million-dollars-to-upgrade-aging-water-pipes/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/7-million-dollars-to-upgrade-aging-water-pipes/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 22:17:57 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43631

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — An early morning water main break in downtown Springfield is keeping Bridge Street closed for about a week. 22News found out what’s causing many of these pipes to burst, and how much it will cost you to fix those re-occurring problems.

Tara Temple lives on Sumner Avenue just a few feet away from where the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission are working to replace aging pipes underneath the road.

“It’s pretty loud, I swear its just as loud as you hear it outside I swear and it’s such an old building and being on the second floor it amplifies,” Temple said.

Projects like the one on Sumner Avenue are not only noisy but they cause traffic delays as they’ve reduced a four lane road down to two.

However, the Water and Sewer commission told 22News the upgrades are essential. They’re spending $7 million for 21 piping projects throughout the city like the one on Sumner Ave.

Commission spokesperson Joyce Mulvaney told 22News a four year long assessment, using underground cameras, revealed nearly 10 thousand feet of sewer lines and more than 9,000 feet of water pipes in need of improvement.

“And the improvements are to improve the pipes so that they’re not at risk of failure. Obviously we don’t want them failing,” Mulvaney said.

Mulvaney also said the upgrades will mean Springfield residents will see their bill go up. The total percentage of ratepayers bill increase will be decided following a public meeting on June 3rd in Springfield’s City Hall at 6:00 P.M.

Everyone knows drunk driving can lead to deadly accidents, but UMass researchers found not all students recognize the danger of driving high.

“I think it’s all based on perception. When you’re under the influence of either alcohol or marijuana it does impair your judgment but when you’re under the influence of marijuana it doesn’t impair you as badly,” said Ralph Tayamora, a recent UMass Amherst graduate from California.

The UMass study found 44 percent of young men who smoked weed, then drove under the influence. More than half felt safe riding in the car with a high driver.

UMass Health Policy Professor and the lead author of this study, Jennifer Whitehall, said the results suggest public health departments should do more to raise awareness of the dangers of driving high.

“Driving drunk is in the media alot more. There’s been a lot more problems with it pinpointing being drunk and not so much with marijuana,” recent UMass Amherst graduate Matthew Cromican told 22News.

“I think the government’s gonna pass laws like that you can’t drive because I heard about laws in Colorado about people getting pulled over because they’re too high, so it’s probably going to be a new wave of policies,” said Von Hausen.

With marijuana only recently becoming decriminalized and more and more legal medical marijuana, researchers are just starting to collect data on its effects on driving. Students and researchers believe in time, the acceptance of smoking and driving will change.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/umass-amherst-study-finds-out-how-many-young-people-drive-high/feed/0What does the Mass. law say about recording people?http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/what-does-the-mass-law-say-about-recording-people/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/what-does-the-mass-law-say-about-recording-people/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 22:15:56 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43716

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Police charged a woman from Chicopee this weekend with illegal wiretapping after she recorded her arrest with her smartphone.

It’s only legal to record people in Massachusetts under the “Two-party Consent” Law. That means both people in a conversation must know that they are being recorded.

Even attempting to secretly record someone can lead to criminal charges. Violating the law can also lead to a civil lawsuit for the damages suffered by a victim.

This is not the case everywhere; all but 12 states allow some form of “one-party consent.” People 22News spoke with think all states should have a two-party law.

Sonia Peralta, who’s against wiretapping, said, “’I think they should change the law so if everybody is going to have it, make sure that everybody knows that it’s happening, but don’t do that to people without them knowing. I think if anybody’s going to be recording you, they should let you know.”

In Massachusetts, even attempting to wiretap could result in a $10,000 fine and 5 years in state prison.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Technology is advancing too quickly for laws to catch up with it. 22News is working for you with a new ruling in the debate over how much privacy we have when it comes to information on our cell phones.

When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they weren’t think about cell phones when they wrote search and seizure laws. It’s only now that the Supreme Court is looking into what the “Expectation of Privacy” is when we use our phones.

That would determine if police can look at text messages without a warrant. Just this past week, a federal judge ruled that information collected without a warrant for tracking cell phones can’t be made public for those who aren’t convicted of a crime.

James B. Winston, a Lawyer from Northampton, told 22News, “This goes back to the beginning really between unreasonable search and seizures and the government’s efforts to investigate people and finding that correct balance of privacy with the reasonable expectation of privacy.”

If text messages were thought of as written letters, this debate is whether officials have the right to go enter your home and read a letter on your table without a warrant.

The Supreme Court plans to decide what the definition of “Expectation of Privacy” is sometime next month.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/supreme-court-plans-to-redefine-the-expectation-of-privacy/feed/0Intense and unusual weather impacting much of the countryhttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/intense-and-unusual-weather-impacting-much-of-the-country/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/intense-and-unusual-weather-impacting-much-of-the-country/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 22:13:57 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43701

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The weather has been pretty intense all across the country. Around here, not too many people are complaining.

Two months ago we were still tracking snow, now our warmest day of the year so far. Not exactly the type of weather you’d expect for the middle of May.

“Rain or a little colder. But this is good. I love this. Good tanning weather and everything,” said Lillian Rodriguez from Springfield.

This spring warmth has finally brought leaves back to our trees, and made outdoor exercise more enjoyable. Temperatures this time of year are supposed to be in the upper 60s here in western Massachusetts, not the mid 80s and we’re not the only ones dealing with interesting weather.

In Colorado, there’s snow. Some areas just outside Denver picked up more than half a foot of it. As much as four inches of it fell in Fort Collins, Colorado where this man’s daughter lives.

“I was talking to her yesterday and she was telling me they had snow and I was calling this morning and she was telling me the ground’s all white, the roads too. It was just unbelievable,” said Adolph Pipczynski from Hadley.

Over the past few days, other parts of the country were dealing with tornadoes, like in Missouri and Kansas. Tornadoes aren’t uncommon this time of year, May typically has the most tornadoes of any month.

In Texas, wildfires continued to burn due to dry conditions and strong wind.

So what’s causing this strange weather? A slow moving storm system in the middle of the country is dragging down cold air behind it, but ahead of it warm air has surged north bringing our big warmup.

LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP) – Three friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are due in court this week, to ask a judge to move their trials outside Massachusetts.

The three men aren’t charged in connection with the bombing itself, but for their actions in the days following the attacks.

Two of them, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, are Kazakhstan nationals who went to UMass Dartmouth with Tsarnaev. They are accused of taking Tsarnaev’s laptop computer and a backpack containing fireworks from his college dorm room after the deadly April 15 bombing.

A third young man from Cambridge, Robel Phillipos, is accused of lying to investigators. Tuesday, their lawyers will ask a federal judge for a change in venue because of intensive media coverage of the case.

People that 22News spoke with Monday said that they don’t think that it will make a difference for the defendants where the trial is held.

“I think it’s such a huge story, it’s going to be the same wherever they go. It’s a national tragedy,” Garry Muratore of Longmeadow said.

“I don’t think they’re ever going to find a jury that hasn’t heard of the story.”

The three men have pleaded not guilty to their charges. Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges in the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 260.

]]>http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/can-tsarnaev-friends-get-a-fair-trial-in-massachusetts/feed/0Top state lawmakers receive large bulk of donations from lobbyistshttp://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/top-state-lawmakers-receive-large-bulk-of-donations-from-lobbyists/
http://wwlp.com/2014/05/12/top-state-lawmakers-receive-large-bulk-of-donations-from-lobbyists/#commentsMon, 12 May 2014 22:11:10 +0000http://wwlp.com/?p=43750

BOSTON (WWLP) - The state’s most powerful leaders are receiving tens of thousands of dollars in donations from lobbyists. 22News asked legislators if money influences their vote on key issues.

Lobbyist donations usually come in the form of $100 to $200 each, but the total numbers reveal that lawmakers with high-level positions received a very large bulk of the money.

With a click of a mouse, you can find out how much a lawmaker receives from lobbyists, and how they spend those donated dollars. It is all public record.

“The reason that a journalist have this information is because it’s transparent, it’s readily accessible online, one doesn’t even have to leave their desk to get that information,” said Senator Stephen Brewer, who is the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Senator Brewer received $14,415 in donations in 2013.

The donations are supposed to go toward campaign funds, but the money comes in even when it is not election year.

The House Speaker is one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state. He oversees the 160 members of the Massachusetts House and has a large say in what becomes law. He also received the most from lobbyists last year, a grand total of $47,775.

“Not at all, not at all. I think you have to realize that when it comes to lobbying for a particular piece of legislation, I mean, there are lobbyists on both sides,” said Speaker DeLeo.

One western Massachusetts lawmaker even made it on the Top 10 list. Pittsfield State Senator Benjamin Downing chairs the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading. He received $20,425 from lobbyists last year.

Under the state’s campaign finance laws, legislators can spend their donations on a wide array of activities that will enhance their political future.